Communication, Technology and Culture are Key to Growing Your Auto Service Business
Jonathan Stotts
Senior PR & Communications Manager
At the Auto Tech Show, a podcast dedicated to the evolution of technology and modern solutions in the automotive industry, the team sat down with Cecil Bullard, owner, and CEO of the Institute for Automotive Business Excellence, to discuss the relationship between advisors and technicians and how to leverage technology, communication, and culture to drive growth in auto servicing.
Cecil and his company consult with automotive companies and operations to find ways to operate in more profitable, efficient, and robust methods to create the ideal situation for their future in the modern climate. Here are some key parts of our conversation that can shed light on how you can improve your own operation.
How Do Automotive Shops Close the Gap of Not Implementing Technology Soon Enough?
There are a lot of shops that don’t realize the importance of taking on new technologies and advancing their business with them. They wait until someone else does it and then follow suit, often well behind the time they should have. That’s a mistake to make, but what’s behind it? Is it a lack of education, or is there a need to be more proactive with technology and solutions?
A good starting point, according to Cecil, is communication. He says, “In a typical automotive shop, we’re so busy trying to take care of customers that we don’t focus on how we improve our communication, how we improve our processes.” He continues, “Because that’s what it’s really all about. When you run a shop that has a really good process, and you have really great communication, then there are less gaps. The gaps get smaller and smaller, and the customer gets better service, or at least the customer feels that they’re getting the perceived value, which goes up. And that’s really what we’re trying to do is create this perceived value for a client.”
How to Create a Culture of Communication
One of the core successes within any automotive shop must be creating a culture of communication. A company that wants to thrive and become successful can do so when it changes its view and opens up the lines of communication.
After building the company up over time and being recognized as the best shop in the country, it was not easy for Cecil’s company to maintain a healthy future plan. Without the right culture of communication, there are numerous limitations and concerns. So, they made changes.
“We built the right culture, we communicate that culture, and we allow the employees to be a part of that. That’s progress,” Cecil shares. “And you have to have good leadership, good management that can recognize it and bring it up in the right way.” Are the techs upset within the company? Could it be because they are not getting good information from the service advisors?
Cecil shares, “So communication culture is at the core of it all and then communicating that, allowing people to be a part of that. So sometimes, you know, having done this for many, many years, somebody goes, well, let’s try this. And you’re like, crap, yeah, we tried that like 17 years ago, and man, it fell on its face.”
“And it’s the core, and it seems like that’s the gap that needs to still be closed for many. And we have so many people that are really good techs, but they don’t know how to communicate, they don’t know how to manage. And if they can learn that skill set and it doesn’t take away from being a good tech, it’s an added thing that would then make their shop so much more productive and profitable.”
